A resignation letter has one job. It records that you are leaving and the date you will go. Most of the stress sits around the letter: how much notice you owe, who to tell first, and what happens if your boss tells you to leave today.
This is general information, not legal advice. Your employment contract governs your notice period, and the rules differ by country, state, province and type of job. If money or a dispute is at stake, speak to a lawyer, your union or your local labour authority before you resign.
Check three things before you write#
Start with your contract or appointment letter. Find the notice clause and note its length, whether it counts calendar or working days, who must receive the notice, and whether it must be written. Look too for garden leave, pay in lieu, and any clause that makes you repay training, relocation or a joining bonus.
Next, confirm the new job is secure. A verbal offer, or one that still depends on a background check, can fall through after you have resigned. Wait for a signed offer with the conditions cleared if you can.
Last, be sure. In the UK, Acas says your employer does not have to accept a request to withdraw a resignation, although it should give the request serious consideration. Treat the letter as final wherever you work.
What to include#
The Acas checklist works as a model in any country: say you are resigning, how much notice you are giving, and the date you want to be your last day. Add the date of the letter, the person it is addressed to, and your name. One line offering help with the handover is a sensible extra. Many good letters run under 100 words.
Writing is not always compulsory. In the UK, your contract decides, and GOV.UK still suggests written notice if you may need to refer to it later. A dated letter or email ends arguments about when your notice began.
What to leave out#
Leave out complaints, your reasons for going, the new employer's name and your new salary. None of it helps you, and the letter may stay in your HR file for years.
There is one major exception. If you are leaving because of how you were treated, the letter could matter later. Acas's constructive dismissal guidance tells UK employees to get legal advice before resigning and to explain their reasons clearly in the letter. If harassment, discrimination or unpaid wages sit behind your decision, get advice in your own country before you send anything.
How notice periods differ#
| Country | Minimum the law sets for you | What usually decides it |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Generally none | Custom, plus any contract, union agreement or policy |
| United Kingdom | One week, after one month of service | Your contract, which can require more |
| India | No general fixed period | Your contract or appointment letter |
| Pakistan | One month for permanent workmen under standing orders | Your contract, if you fall outside standing orders |
United States. Most US jobs are at-will, so either side can end the job at any time for almost any reason. Illinois says directly that notice is not required by either party. Two weeks is a custom, although a written contract or union agreement can change your position. The custom still matters, because it can shape references and whether a company would rehire you. Money varies by state. Federal wage law does not require payment for time not worked, such as vacations, while California counts accrued vacation in final wages. Federal law also does not require an immediate final paycheck, though some states do.
United Kingdom. Keep two numbers apart. The statutory minimum is one week once you have a month of continuous service. With under a month, you owe no notice unless your written statement says otherwise. Your contract can require more. Leaving short may put you in breach, and your employer could take you to court. The sliding scale up to 12 weeks in the same section is the notice an employer must give you, and it does not apply to your resignation.
India. A 2023 SCC Online explainer says India has no fixed minimum or maximum notice before resignation, that your terms of employment set it, and that companies generally use 15 days to six months. Some contracts allow a buyout, where you pay instead of serving the period. Standing orders can also apply to some workers, so ask HR if you are unsure. Section 17(2) of the Code on Wages says wages are payable within two working days of resignation. The code is recent, so ask HR when to expect your final pay.
Pakistan. Standing Order 12 of the 1968 Ordinance calls for one month's notice from either side to end a permanent workman's employment, other than for misconduct, or a month's wages in lieu. Temporary workers, probationers and badli workers need not give notice when they leave of their own accord. WageIndicator's summary says supervisory and managerial staff are usually excluded and some provinces have their own versions. If you fall outside these rules, look to your contract.
When to tell your manager#
Tell your manager first, in person or on a video call, and send the letter the same day. Keep it brief: "I've decided to leave. My last day will be [date], and here is my letter. I'd like to make the handover as smooth as I can." You do not owe a reason. "I've accepted another role" is enough if you are pressed.
Go to HR first in a few cases: your contract says so, your manager is the subject of a complaint, or you do not feel safe having the conversation.
Prepare for losing system access the same day. Save your own payslips and personal documents beforehand, and leave company files, client lists and code where they are. Copying them can create a far bigger problem than a short notice period.
Working out your last day#
GOV.UK says notice usually runs from the start of the day after you hand it in. Counting that way, here is what a resignation on Monday 9 November 2026 produces:
| Notice | Last day |
|---|---|
| One week | Monday 16 November 2026 |
| Two weeks | Friday 20 or Monday 23 November 2026 |
| One month | Wednesday 9 December 2026 |
| 60 days | Friday 8 January 2027 |
| 90 days | Sunday 7 February 2027 |
| Three months | Tuesday 9 February 2027 |
The two-week row shows why you should write an exact date: "two weeks" can mean ten working days ending on the Friday, or fourteen days ending on the Monday. The bottom rows show that 90 days and three months are different dates, and a period ending on a Sunday raises the question of which day counts. Ask HR to confirm the date in writing.
Before you settle, look at the money around that date. Check bonus payment dates, and any rule that you must still be employed when they are paid. Check stock or retirement vesting, and when your health cover ends. In the UK, untaken statutory holiday must be paid when you leave. In India, the Labour Ministry's compliance handbook says gratuity needs at least five years of continuous service, or one year for fixed-term staff. Resigning a few weeks short of that line could cost you.
Four templates to copy#
Replace every bracket and delete anything that does not apply.
1. Standard two weeks' notice#
Dear [Manager name],
Please accept this letter as formal notice of my resignation from my position as [job title] at [company name]. My last working day will be [date], two weeks from today.
Before then, I will finish [main project or task] and hand over my work to [name or team].
Sincerely,
[Your name]
2. Short and formal, for contractual notice#
Dear [Manager or HR contact name],
I am resigning from my position as [job title]. In line with the [length] notice period in my [contract or appointment letter], my last working day will be [date].
Please confirm receipt of this letter and tell me the next steps for handover, final settlement and my [relieving letter or reference].
Regards,
[Your name]
3. Grateful#
Dear [Manager name],
I am writing to let you know that I am resigning as [job title]. My last working day will be [date], which meets the [length] notice in my contract.
I want to thank you for [one specific thing, such as the chance to lead a project or your support during a difficult period]. I learned a great deal about [skill or area].
I will document [key work] and brief [name or team] before I go.
With thanks,
[Your name]
4. Immediate resignation#
Read this first. In the UK, leaving without agreement could breach your contract, and your employer only has to pay for the time you worked. Contracts elsewhere can carry similar risks. Ask to be released early before you send this, and get advice if your employer's serious breach is the reason. If you have no contractual notice, keep only the first sentence of the opening paragraph.
Dear [Manager or HR contact name],
I am resigning from my position as [job title], effective [date]. My contract provides for [length] of notice. Because of [brief factual reason, or "personal circumstances"], I cannot work it, and I ask you to release me from it.
Please send my final pay and any documents to [personal email or address]. I will return [laptop, pass or other equipment] by [date].
Regards,
[Your name]
If you are asked to leave early#
Some employers end your access the day you resign, especially if you are joining a competitor. Do not argue in the moment. Ask for the decision in writing, including your end date, the date pay stops, and what happens to unused leave, benefits and equipment.
What you are owed depends on where you work. In the UK, Acas separates two arrangements. On garden leave you stay employed and are paid as usual. With pay in lieu, the job ends at once and you receive full pay for the notice period, and an employer cannot force this on you unless the contract allows it.
US protection is thinner. Oregon's labor bureau, for example, says an employer who releases you during a two-week notice need not pay the remainder unless it has an established practice or policy of paying other employees. Unemployment rules vary by state, and the federal description covers people out of work through no fault of their own, so ask your state agency how an early release is treated.
In India, the SCC Online explainer notes an employer may end the job right after a resignation and pay in lieu of the notice period. In Pakistan, Standing Order 12 provides for wages in lieu where it applies.
If you get a counteroffer#
Take a day before you answer, and ask for the offer in writing, including salary, title and the date the change starts. Then go back to why you started looking. If pay was the whole problem, a real raise may fix it. If the problem was your manager, your workload or your career path, more money leaves that in place.
The evidence on what happens next is thin. You will see claims that 80 percent of people who accept a counteroffer leave within months, usually with no traceable study behind them. One better-documented figure comes from a Robert Half UK survey of 2,000 employees in December 2021: 53% of those who received a counteroffer accepted it, 34% of those had left within six months, and 74% within a year. Treat that with care. A recruitment firm commissioned it, it relies on what people reported, and the size of the group who accepted is not given.
If you stay, get your employer's agreement to withdraw your resignation in writing, and tell the other employer promptly.
Once you have your dates, Onlano's resignation letter generator can turn them into a draft to edit. Check the notice length against your contract before you send it.
